Voices from the Arab Press: Economically strangling Iran vs falling into a trap

Mecca agreement changes the equationAsharq al-Awsat, UK, August 15The trilateral Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense agreement, more than a year in the making, sends a clear message: threatening the security of the Gulf ultimately means threatening the security of the entire region.The signatories have chosen to act because they believe the region must move toward progress and away from chaos.The agreement is significant in its form, timing, and location. It was signed in Mecca, conveying, as the Gulf saying goes, that the matter has fully matured and that there is no longer room to accept the current reality of destructive wars. Iran must understand that its expansionist project is surrounded by increasingly irrational assumptions.Collectively, the three signatories possess formidable resources and capabilities, with combined GDP estimated at $3.3 trillion. Pakistan overlooks the Arabian Sea, while Turkey's presence in Somalia gives it access to the Red Sea.